Sustainability of current and future water resource allocation is a growing concern to the public. Finding a balance between what is needed by humans and what is needed in the environment is an important step in the sustainability of water resources. In addition, water usage and water properties have a significant impact on costs incurred by residential consumers and businesses. As a result new management strategies are needed.
Some businesses and consumers attempt to implement water-efficiency best management practices to help understand and better manage their water use. Actively monitoring water use and effectively educating individuals about facility water use and water management planning goals are key components of properly managing and reducing commercial facility and residential water use. Monitoring and education set the stage for the relative success of a water management program, providing the ability to track and measure progress to increase awareness and build support for specific projects or user behavior changes.
Attempts have been made to accomplish these goals through various devices, but each suffers from various drawbacks. For example, some existing commercial systems used to monitor or control water usage involve a complex network of water lines, cords, and cables that require a skilled technician to install, maintain, and in some instances use. As a result, such systems are often not properly used or effectively used and are not widely adopted.
Other examples include large industrial devices designed for use by municipal utilities. Unfortunately, such devices cannot measure water at the fixture level (e.g., at the faucet), and due to large size are not versatile or useable by commercial and residential water users.
Smaller examples of water flow monitoring devices include devices which include a display directly on the device attached to the water line, requiring the individual user to obtain data from the display and manually record the data for further use. Alternative examples include devices that are attachable in limited locations, such as to a shower, and only provide an estimate of the volume of water. Unfortunately, these systems have limited accuracy and are not user friendly.
Accordingly, what is needed is a smart water management system which is small and versatile so as to permit management of water consumption at the fixture level, but also capable of being scaled to commercial uses. What is also needed is a smart water management system which communicates with a user to provide real time information and allow the user to monitor and control water usage.